BEIJING, October 28. /TASS/. The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) needs to strengthen surveillance measures over Japan in a situation where the country is building up its plutonium reserves, Chairman of China Arms Control and Disarmament Association Dai Huaicheng told TASS.

He said that Japan's plutonium reserves now stand at 44.4 tons. "The IAEA should proactively strengthen the scale and frequency of comprehensive control measures for Japan. And all countries should approach nuclear cooperation with Japan with caution to ensure that such cooperation is used exclusively for peaceful purposes," he said.

Dai Huaicheng added that Japan had long justified the plutonium reserves growth by developing a nuclear cycle and intending to produce MOX fuel (Mixed-Oxide fuel - mixed uranium-plutonium oxide fuel). However, in light of the facts, this justification does not stand up to criticism. Firstly, there is a serious imbalance between supply and demand," said the head of the association.

"After the 2011 accident at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, many of Japan’s nuclear reactors were shut down for a long time, and the number of reactors in which plutonium is actually loaded and consumed is very limited, which is why significant amounts of plutonium only enter [reserves], but are not consumed."

Secondly, the expert pointed out, this runs counter to Japan's obligations to the international community.

"In 1997, Japan gave the IAEA a written commitment to ensure the ‘absence of excess plutonium.’ That is, that all the separated plutonium will be used in reactors [as fuel], but today it has accumulated dozens of tons of excess plutonium, which means we see a difference in what they say and what they do. Thirdly, plutonium stored abroad can also be used for military purposes. As soon as Japan makes a political decision, more than 30 tons of plutonium stored outside the country can theoretically be quickly delivered [to Japanese territory]," Dai Huaicheng said.

The MOX technology uses secondary nuclear production materials for the production of fresh fuel - depleted uranium and plutonium extracted from irradiated nuclear fuel.